Gods and Devils
by I-Write-Upon-My-Whims
Summary: When Daredevil arrives at the scene of an accident similar to his own, he can't help but feel empathy for the nine-year-old girl it involves and guilt for not being there in time to save her. When he discovers that she's in the foster care system, he decides it's all he can do to adopt her and give her a loving home. However, she might not be exactly who he thinks she is.
1. Chapter 1: Accidents Happen (Matt)

**Note: I draw from both the comics and the TV show. Matt's dad died when Matt was about to graduate in this timeline and he went blind at fifteen.**

 **This story is dedicated to Shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod because she is an amazing fan fiction writer and even better friend.**

* * *

The screeching of tires, the smell of some sort of toxic waste- For a moment, Matt was a scared fifteen-year old. But this time, he wasn't the one on the street.

A second too long to change, that was all it took. One second to shrug off his shirt, to have to rip off a stubborn button, to not be there in time. He cursed himself in his head, jumping down from the roof with such anger he almost missed the flag post, his senses clouded. He took a breath, cutting through the anger, his radar scoping out the scene. The truck, a child, people standing around. So familiar. But this time, he hadn't saved anyone.

"Tell me what happened," he said, running to the prone figure in the street. A girl. Couldn't be more than nine. She was sprawled on the ground, still. Matt could smell blood.

"She tripped, I think." The woman sounded shaky. "Crossing the street. She was carrying a grocery bag, and-" Matt let her talk, focusing on the little girl's heartbeat, her pulse. She seemed to be unconscious. There were no broken bones, but a possible concussion, and something that smelled incredibly wrong.

"I think that something got in her eyes," someone else interrupted. Matt felt nausea rise in his throat and stood.

"Has someone called an ambulance?" Matt said, almost yelling. The woman who'd told him what had happened said yes, she had, and now Matt could hear it in the distance, coming closer. Matt felt colossally useless, pointless, like a failure.

"Daredevil, we've got it," A paramedic said, and Matt stepped out of the way. The girl could use the paramedics more than she could use him. "Did you see what happened?"

"I-" Matt swallowed. "I came late." Admitting it brought up the bile in his throat. He could arrive in time to save businessmen from muggers who'd barely take their watches, but he couldn't save the little girl's future.

 _You don't know that she's blind... Maybe it_ _won't be the same..._

But he did know.

* * *

Matt decided to call Foggy while he waited in the emergency room. As Daredevil, he'd let the hospital know that he knew a lawyer who'd be arriving shortly, and Matt had waited five minutes before returning as himself.

Foggy picked up on the first ring.

"Why are you late? Are you all right? Oh, no, you're-"

"Foggy, I'm fine." Matt's mouth crooked a bit. "There was an accident, I want to lend my services."

"Your services, or-" Foggy lowered his voice, a dramatic gesture that wasn't entirely necessary at the office. "Daredevil's?"

"Mine. Ours. Yours and mine." Matt sighed and hung up before Foggy could protest. Matt planned on doing it for free. It was doubtful a nine-year-old girl could pay for a lawyer. Matt put his phone back in his pocket and listened to the sounds. He hated hospitals, with their smells of blood and vomit masked by sharp chemical cleaners and the sounds of people crying and in pain.

Apparently the girl was in the foster care system, as evidenced by the social worker who showed up soon after her foster parents. Matt listened the the social worker berate the parents for letting the girl go out alone. He heard her name, Audrey, and quite a bit of the argument before stepping in.

"Excuse me," He said, stepping smoothly into a lull in the conversation, a skill honed by plenty of parties he attended out of business practicality, "My name is Matthew Murdock. I'm a lawyer. A friend of mine was at the scene of the accident and suggested I come here."

"We have lawyers," The social worker said, just as the girl's father said, "Thank God."

"Who are you planning on representing?" The mother asked, not so quick to assume. Her arms were clearly crossed over her chest, and from her heartbeat, she wasn't nearly as agitated as the social worker or her husband. "Us or her?"

"The girl, actually." Matt put both his hands on the handle of his white cane, a relaxed position he'd perfected for use in the courtroom.

"For what? Why would she need a lawyer?" The father sounded suspicious.

"In a lawsuit against the truck company. Or anything else." Matt didn't want to antagonize the parents, but the girl was nine and walking alone in the middle of New York City. When his own accident had happened, he returning home from a library a few blocks away. Audrey was in the middle of a street with no housing of any kind for a long way.

"Drakon Trucking is being investigated," The social worker said. "And until then, there's no need for a lawyer."

Matt nodded. Sometimes it was frustrating, being Matt Murdock, blind lawyer. Daredevil could force his way in, go places Matt had to take more slowly. "Just take my card, and call me if you need anything." He took three business cards out of his pocket, held them out. Maybe the other three people took them because they thought they might need him, maybe out of politeness, or maybe out of pity for the blind guy so desperate for work he'd talk to a bunch of people in a hospital waiting room, but they took the cards and he turned and left.

* * *

Sometimes, galavanting along the rooftops as Daredevil helped Matt think, but not today. He couldn't get his mind off of Audrey, probably scared, possibly alone. The office wasn't too far, and Matt was going faster than usual from anger and guilt.

He dropped into the alley behind the office. He kept clothes there in case he forgot where he'd hidden his clothes when he changed into his costume. He entered the building normally, taking the stairs three at a time. He couldn't hear any heartbeats, no people to catch a blind guy going up stairs faster than most sighted people.

When he walked into the office, Karen looked up.

"Matt," she said, relief evident in her voice, "What happened?"

"There was an accident," he said. Hearing her sharp intake of breath, he amended, "not me in an accident. Someone else. I thought I could help." Matt trailed his hand along the wall, found a chair.

"Wha-what happened?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Foggy came in, leaned on the wall across from Matt. "You didn't say on the phone."

"There was a girl. A little girl," Matt said, the words feeling odd and twisted in his chest. "And a speeding truck."

Foggy knew enough about how Matt himself had gone blind to put the pieces together. "Oh."

"Yeah." Matt balled up a fist. "And her parents seemed pretty detached. Foster parents." If Matt hadn't had his dad after his accident, there was no telling what would have happened.

No one said anything. Foggy's and Karen's heartbeats, the computer's hum, the traffic out the window filled the silence for Matt.

"I have work to do," Matt said, finally. How he'd focus, he didn't know, but he'd be alone.

* * *

Foggy walked Matt out of the office building that night, out of Karen's earshot. "Do you want to get in to see her?" Foggy asked. HIs heartbeat betrayed his excitement.

"The girl?" Matt nodded. "But I doubt they'd let me. I want to see if she's all right, walk her through anything-"

"Maybe they won't let you in," Foggy said, "but they might let Daredevil in."

Matt's brow furrowed. "You mean I fight my way in? I can't do that."

"No!" Foggy laughed, short and quiet. "You go in as Daredevil to talk to the kids. I think Captain America does that a lot, and I'd bet that they'd let you in."

Hearing Daredevil compared to Captain America made Matt smile, his first real smile all day. "That's actually a really good idea."

"Actually?" Foggy shook his head. "Come on, Matt, give me more credit than that."

"Thanks, Foggy."


	2. Chapter 2: Kid Stuff (Matt)

**Note: I'm sorry if this is too cheesy to swallow. Also, I know nothing about pretty much anything (except the fandom bits), so if I depict something wrong, tell me. I tried to do some research, but honestly, it's a fanfiction that I'm writing more for myself than anything. Thanks for reading, love you all.**

* * *

Daredevil had walked into the hospital to make the offer. He didn't want any number he called to be tracked. His pediatric unit gig was at noon two days after he offered to come. A nurse walked him up, along with medications she was giving a few of the children.

"Look," she said, "Daredevil's here!"

Walking into the roomful of eager little heartbeats was like walking into a gently rolling sea. A nerve-wracking one. Hopefully there wouldn't be any color coding he wouldn't recognize. Daredevil stood still, not sure what to do. Wave?

"Daredevil!" one kid said. "You're my fravrit superhero."

"I like Spider-Man better," someone else mumbled. Daredevil smiled at the first kid.

"Really?" That was a surprise. "I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before. And to be honest-" He looked in the direction of the Spider-Man fan. "I like Spidey, too." He heard the kid's lips part in a smile. He let his radar-sense scope out the room. It was pretty much what he'd expected. There were a few tables with what smelled like crayons and markers, wax and ink. A few kids were hooked up to IVs, which had both distinctive shapes and smells, a few were in wheelchairs and a few had oxygen canisters. There were maybe fourteen kids. "So, what's your name?"

"Dylan," said the kid who said Daredevil was his 'fravorite.' "And Ryan likes Spider-Man."

"I like Spider-Man!" A girl said.

"What's your name?" Daredevil wasn't sure what to say in response to that.

"Harper," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"Very nice to meet you, too," Daredevil said. He held out a hand to shake. Her hand was colder than one would expect on a child. Daredevil could hear her shallow breathing. She had an oxygen canister attached to her wheelchair.

 _I can't save any of these kids, either,_ he thought. The thought sent a chill through him. He pushed the thought from his mind and tried to focus on the present moment.

"Daredevil," one kid said, "We know Captain America is really Steve Rodgers." _Uh-oh._

"What's your secret identity?" Someone else said. Someone had been reading too many Superman comics.

"Um- Actually, it's Barty Crouch, Jr." He said the first name he could think of.

The kids burst out laughing. "That's from _Harry Potter_!" Dylan said. "What's your real secret identity?"

He ended up using most of his time making up ridiculous names and professions for his secret identity. Sordid Monrovia made prune jelly, Louis De le Rouche wrote music, and Jeremy Piggles made mermaid iPhone covers.

At one-thirty, he had to leave. A nurse walked him out again.

"The children loved that," the nurse said. There was something about her that wasn't quite normal, but Daredevil couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe she was wearing a unique perfume? He focused on what she'd said.

"So did I." Daredevil didn't get to spend much time with children, and he was glad Foggy had had this idea.

"Daredevil, there's actually one more kid, if you'd be willing. She's still recovering from a surgery, but she'd really like to-visit with you." Daredevil noticed that the nurse said 'visit' instead of 'see' and his heart felt like stone. "Apparently you actually were there when they brought her in?"

"Yeah." Daredevil had to force the words to sound nonchalant. "I'd be glad to."

"Her name is Audrey," the nurse said. "Come on."

Daredevil's stomach flipped as he followed the nurse along. This was his goal, and now that it was here he felt nervous. The nurse stopped in front of a door. She knocked and entered.

"Audrey, it's nurse Aceso." The nurse drew back and let Daredevil in. "I have a special guest for you."

"Daredevil?" Audrey asked. Her heartbeat was off, probably from the surgery, stress and medication. Their was a sob underneath her voice, not coming out now but probably never far away.

"Yeah. So you're Audrey?" He wondered if she could hear his heartbeat, if her senses were enhanced. She nodded. Daredevil pulled up a chair, still vaguely aware of the nurse in the room.

"Were you there yesterday?" She asked. Daredevil hadn't expected that.

"How did you know?" He made an effort to keep his voice neutral.

"I was kind of asleep, and it hurt, but I heard your name." She bit her lip. "Sometimes I notice things a lot when I'm not paying attention to what I should be."

"That's impressive," he said. "So, Audrey, tell me more about yourself."

"I'm blind now. That's what the doctor said." Daredevil smelled the salt of a tear coming out from under the bandages on her eyes. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"That sounds scary, but-" Daredevil didn't want to sound condescending, but oh, did he want to help her. "You'll be able to work through it."

"I don't know if anyone will want me now," Audrey said. "Because I can't do things."

Daredevil felt tears pricking at his own sightless eyes. "I have a friend," he said, "who's blind and does lots of things."

"That's what the doctor said," Audrey sounded just as hopeless. "But they didn't show me anyone, so... Is it really real?"

"Maybe you could meet my friend." Daredevil could hardly believe his luck. "If the hospital says it's all right."

"I think it would be," said Nurse Aceso, "I think it would be very all right."

* * *

Matt walked back into the next day during visiting hours.

"Matt Murdock," he said to the receptionist. "Daredevil's friend?"

"Sixth floor, room 12B," The receptionist said, a thin veneer of perkiness in her voice covering up the boredom underneath.

"Thanks," Matt said. He could smell his way, if need be. "Which way is the elevator?"

"Behind you and to your left." Matt nodded and turned around. When he stepped out on level six, Nurse Aceso was waiting for him.

"Are you Matthew Murdock?" she asked.

"Yes. Call me Matt." He held out a hand to shake, and she took it.

"Matt," she said, "Audrey's been waiting for you."

"Do you have other patients?" Matt asked. How she managed to find the time to lead around a visitor, he didn't know.

"Not at this exact minute." The nurse waited for Matt to take her arm before leading him to Audrey's door. "I'll leave you here."

"Thanks." Matt had one question. "Don't you need to ask her parents about visitors?"

"They're not her parents anymore," Nurse Aceso said. Matt nodded, taking that in. "Audrey knows where the call button is once it's time for you to go."

Nurse Aceso left and Matt opened the door.

"Hi, Audrey." Matt quickly "felt" is way to a chair, knowing that no one was watching but if someone did happen to glance in, well, he was blind Matt right then.

"Who're you? Are you Daredevil's blind friend?"

"Actually, yes." Matt found the chair he'd used the previous day and sat in it. "My name is Matt Murdock."

"And you're blind? All the way?" Audrey's voice hadn't yet lost the soft baby edge.

"All the way blind." Matt smiled, not caring that Audrey couldn't see it. It would come through in his voice.

"What's your job?" Her small hand found his, folded over his cane. He turned one over to hold her hand. Almost the whole hand fit in his palm.

"I'm a lawyer. I argue for people who pay me to argue against other people who say they've done bad things."

"I know what a lawyer is." Audrey didn't sound irritated, just stating a fact. "I'm _nine_."

"Sorry. I don't see kids a lot." Audrey shuddered.

"Why did you say see?" She took a deep breath. "If you're blind?"

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't use the same words as other people." He held her hand, the one already resting on top of his.

"Do you want to hear a joke?" Audrey asked suddenly. "I know a joke."

"Let's hear it." Matt was surprised, but didn't want to pass up a chance to hear some comedy.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Dumbledore." Matt thought he might have heard this joke somewhere before.

"Dumbledore who?"

"Dumb old door isn't working." Audrey giggled a little bit, her laugh tinged with trying not to cry.

"Was this a test to see if I liked Harry Potter?" Matt asked. Smart move, for a girl her age.

"Um... Yeah." Audrey nodded in Matt's radar.

"I haven't actually read the books," Matt admitted. Audrey gasped.

"I have," she said proudly. "They took me a long time. They're big books." Her voice crumpled. "Can I still read them? Without seeing the letters?"

"I could even teach you," Matt said. They really hadn't told her anything about living blind. No wonder she was so scared.

"How?"

"Well, there are these raised dots, called Braille-"

* * *

Matt couldn't stop grinning. A week and a half later, Audrey was almost healed enough to go home. She had no one to foster her at the moment except for a group home, so Matt had made a decision.

"You're happy today," Karen said as Matt strode through the door. "What's going on?"

"Where's Foggy?" Matt wanted to say it all at once.

"He's on the phone. He'll be out of his office in a sec." The printer started up and Karen went to get the paper, putting it down on the desk and coming to stand in front of Matt. "What is it?"

"I want to tell you and Foggy at the same time." Matt grinned wider, if possible. Matt heard Foggy's door open and turned to face him.

"Okay, he's here. Matt, what's going on?" Karen shifted impatiently from one foot to the other.

"So," Matt began, "you know Audrey?"

"Daredevil's little friend?" Foggy's voice was softly teasing. "The one you've been neglecting your cases over? Yeah, I know her."

"So, the only place she's got after she's discharged from the hospital is some group home on Long Island, Camp something. So, I've decided to foster her!"

"Matthew," Foggy said. "You want to foster a child."

"Mmh-hmm!" Matt extended his arms and spun like the opening scene of _the Sound of Music,_ at least having the presence of mind to knock into the coatrack for Karen's benefit. Karen shouted a warning at the last minute before the coatrack toppled over.

"Woah there, partner," Foggy said, taking Matt by the shoulders. "Have you ever taken care of a child?"

"Um," Matt said, "I dogsat once. Oh! Also I talked to this kid at this one wedding I went to. He wouldn't stop talking about monster trucks."

"Oh, God," Karen muttered.

"Well, I have a younger sister who is satan's reincarnation in the human form," Foggy said. "Children are hard stuff, Matt."

"I know." Matt's shoulders deflated. "I just... Audrey really needs a place to go where she'll be loved, and I want to be that place. God knows, she might not be able to find one, being newly blind." The word _burden_ tossed itself around in Matt's mind. He hadn't wanted to be one on his father, and Matt was lucky his father had loved him so much he'd never felt like one, but Audrey didn't have that. Except for Matt.

"I'm not saying it won't work. You just need parenting classes." Foggy patted Matt on the back. "I'll call my mom, she knows a guy who knows a guy. She'll set us up."

"Will you represent me in court?" Matt's voice was low.

"To the ends of the Earth, buddy. You know that."


	3. Chapter 3: Taxi Powers (Audrey)

Matt's hand enveloped Audrey's completely. It was reassuring to have someone big to hold on to. Audrey forgot a little bit that Matt was blind, too, and that made her happy. If he could still do things, then she could still do things.

Nurse Aceso knelt in front of Audrey. Audrey could feel something from Nurse Aceso none of the other nurses had. It was like she could heal a person by being nearby.

"Audrey, Matt's going to take you to his house for a little while, al right? A few hours. Just to see how you like it."

Audrey nodded. She knew she had to be polite even if she didn't like Matt's house. Even if it was smelly, like where she'd been when she was five, or had scratchy carpet, like when she was seven. The house she was leaving had ugly beige wallpaper, but that didn't matter anymore.

"Are you ready?" Matt gave Audrey's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah." Audrey had a cane in the hand not holding Matt's but she didn't know how to use it. No one had given her any orientation and mobility yet. Matt said he was going to help her learn.

Walking out of the room and to the elevator was scary. Matt repositioned her hand on her shoulder, the one on the side opposite the one where Matt was, and she could hear the taps of Matt's cane in front of them. Nurse Aceso's healing presence was on her other side. When she walked into the elevator and could touch the wall again, she was breathing hard.

"Do you want to press the button with me?" Matt asked. Audrey started to nod, remembered Matt could't see, and said yes. He took her hand and guided her finger to a button. Audrey felt bumps underneath the number, but she had no idea what they meant.

"Soon you'll be able to do that by yourself," Nurse Aceso said. Audrey couldn't imagine those bumps meaning words. It was hard enough reading written-on-paper-with-ink words.

The elevator went _ding_ when it reached the bottom floor.

Matt walked Audrey into the lobby. Audrey had been in the lobby once since landing in the hospital. It had been scary and overwhelming and Audrey had held on to Nurse Aceso the whole time. This time, she held on to Matt. At first she held on loosely, not sure whether Matt even wanted her to hold on to him, but when a loud ringtone blasted from a phone near Adurey's ear she'd practically jumped onto Matt as if she'd been climbing a tree, and he held her much more tightly.

"You'll get used to it soon," he said, "I promise."

Lots of times, Audrey didn't trust adults when they made promises, and Matt was no different. Still, it made her feel a little bit better. If he was used to it, then there at least was a possibility that she would be, too.

Matt kept a firm grip on Audrey through the crowded lobby. Audrey could hear lots of activity, but no one bumped into them. Maybe they wanted to get out of the way of the cane. Either way, she felt grateful.

Nurse Aceso left them when they walked through the doors. She said she had more patients to get to. Audrey minded a little bit, but mostly she wanted to get back outside. The sun was bright and hot and the air smelled polluted, and the cars were loud, but Audrey smiled.

"Listen to the city," Matt said to her. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Despite the car sounds and humidity and smells, yes, yes it was.

* * *

Matt and Audrey didn't walk to Matt's house; they took a taxi. Audrey had been on plenty of buses and taxis before, but never without her sight. Matt sat next to her in the back and helped her explore the seats, the windows, the car ceiling with her fingers. Everything had a different texture that Audrey had never noticed before.

"I like touching taxis better than seeing them," Audrey said. Matt laughed.

"They're much more interesting by touch, I agree." Audrey's hand fell on Matt's and he took it again. "What are you going to want for lunch?"

"Um, what do you have?" Audrey was confused. "Do you cook food?"

Matt laughed again. "I do, and pretty well, if I do say so myself. I have a lot of pasta. It's easy to make quickly after a day of work."

Right. Matt was a lawyer. He probably went to work a lot. "Are you rich?"

"What?" Audrey suddenly wondered if she'd offended him.

"Because you're a lawyer," Audrey said. "Aren't lawyers rich?" She remembered something a former parent of hers had said, the father when she was seven, the one with the scratchy carpet. "Aren't lawyers liars who are all rich?"

"Maybe some," Matt said. "I'm just starting out, so I'm not rich. And my business partner, Foggy, and I would never, ever lie."

"Okay." That made Audrey feel good, but also embarrassed. She was glad that Matt couldn't see the blush she felt warm her cheeks.

"Speaking of Foggy," Matt said, "he'll drive us back to the hospital, if you don't mind."

"Okay," Audrey said again. She felt she didn't have a lot of right to say no. Matt was being nice and taking her to his house. When people did nice things with you, you were supposed to let them do what they wanted, right?

"Are you overwhelmed by all this?" Audrey looked up in Matt's direction.

"Um, yeah." She bit her lip nervously. "Um, maybe?"

"That's fine." Audrey felt a rush of relief. "I was overwhelmed when I first went blind, too, and I had my same house."

Audrey had never thought that Matt had had a "first went blind." She hadn't really thought of how Matt had learned to do what he did, either. She wondered about it, but didn't want to ask.

The taxi stopped. "That'll be fifteen dollars," the man in front said. As Matt let go of Audrey's hand to get his money out of his pocket, the taxi driver said, "or not."

"What?" the bills in Matt's hand brushed Audrey's arm and Audrey's hair prickled.

"I mean, you could pay with your lives," the driver said conversationally. Audrey's hand brushed against the door handle. She tried it. It was locked.

"We need to get out now!" She said to Matt.

"That was an awful joke," Matt said to the driver, but he didn't sound like her thought it was a joke. Audrey was feeling the same things she felt from Nurse Aceso, but instead of healing, it felt scary. When the driver spoke again, it didn't sound like a person. In fact, it didn't even say words. It just growled. Matt swore.

"Audrey, get behind me," he said, and Audrey slid into the space between his arched back and the seat. "On my count of three, you're crawling out the window," he whispered. She heard a strain in his voice, like he was holding something heavy, and she realized he must have been wrestling the taxi driver. "One, two, three!"

There was a _crack_ like the shattering of glass and Audrey scrabbled for the window. Matt and broken it and the glass scraped her arms as she slid out. She landed on the ground with a thump and stumbled away from the taxi. She tripped onto the curb and caught herself with her hands. Jolted, she stood again and stumbled into a building. She sank to the ground, not even trying to hold back her sobs, and Matt was beside her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, hiccuping. "It's my fault."

"Don't say that," Matt said. "It's not your fault." He stroked her head and pulled her into a hug, or tried to. Audrey pushed away.

"Don't you know why no one keeps me?" She wiped her eyes, but her breathing grew hysterical. "Something always happens. Once I thought I saw a man that looked like a goat and once a bird tried to carry me away by breaking through my bedroom window and once a snake came out of the bathtub and tried to-"

"It's okay," Matt cut her off. His voice carried nothing but comfort and truth. "I won't let anything happen to you."

This time, Audrey let him pull her into a hug.

* * *

 **So, um, I love** **reviews! Be as critical as you want but try to keep it constructive as opposed to being cruel for the sake of it. I can take tons of constructive criticism, though, and know I have a long way to go to improve. Feel free! Even if you don't have any time to review, thank you so much for taking the time to read. I appreciate it so incredibly much and love you all!**

 **Feel free to PM me if you want to chat. I have tons of schoolwork but I'll do my best to get back to you!**


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Cry, Whisper (Matt)

The news the next day read "Man saves child from killer taxi driver." Matt had managed to cover his face with his coat and sunglasses, and Audrey's face was hidden in her arms or his hug for most of the time, so no one knew it was them. That would have made it much easier to connect Matthew Murdock to Daredevil, which Matt did not want. Foggy, however, was a different story. He could not believe what had happened, and especially could not believe that afterwards Matt had calmly gone inside and made mac n' cheese.

What confused Matt was the fact that he was sure that the taxi driver had turned into some sort of dragon, but Foggy had said that in the newspaper photos he'd just been a man with a "mad crazy" knife. Matt had decided that the man must have been on drugs that made the outlines of his body seem, to a radar sense, to be like a dragon's. That didn't quite make sense, but it was better than the explanation "Matt is going crazy."

Foggy had offered to represent Matt yet again in a case against the taxi company, but Matt had refused, more for privacy than anything else.

Matt thought about what Audrey had said. Everything she'd described seemed unbelievable, but in a world where a blind guy could swing from rooftops due to a toxic waste-induced radar sense, Matt supposed that what Audrey had said was the solid truth. However, that made him even more determined to adopt her; he was one of the best fighters in New York and would probably keep her the safest of anyone she could be adopted by, except Tony Stark or Thor or someone like that. To tell the truth, he wasn't quite sure what had happened that day. It was like some force had made the dragon—sorry, taxi driver—disappear.

Anyway, it was with renewed vigor that he set out to take her for another visit to his house, this time with Foggy driving them both to and fro.

Audrey was waiting for Matt in the lobby. While Matt could have found Audrey on his own using almost any one of his remaining senses—smelling her, hearing her heartbeat, feeling everyone in the room until he got to her (granted, that would be awkward) or radar sense, he took Foggy with him to erase any possible suspicion he'd otherwise be under. He needn't have worried; Nurse Aceso was waiting with Audrey and called him over.

"Thank you for being on time. I need to check on someone in a few minutes. She's signed out for a few hours." Nurse Aceso shook Matt's hand and left.

"Is that hospital policy?" Foggy muttered. "Signing a kid out for someone else?"

Matt had thought of that, and it was odd, but as long as he could be with Audrey he wouldn't question it. He was beginning to feel extremely attached to her. He could definitely imagine walking her into her first day of school.

Audrey gave Matt a hug, which took him slightly by surprise.

"This time Foggy will drive us both ways," Matt said. "Just to be safe." Foggy had driven the two back to the hospital the time before and he had not once turned into a dragon. It was really very thoughtful of him.

"Okay," Audrey said.

"Hi," Foggy said.

"Hi, Foggy." Audrey gave a wave in Foggy's direction, and it mostly succeeded.

"Let's go." Matt wanted to leave the hospital, with all its scents of illness and bad memories, and he wanted to get time to really know Audrey.

"I can use the cane a little better," Audrey said. "But can I still hold on to you?"

"Of course." Matt held an arm down so Audrey could find it. He led the way to the car, bent to the side so the nine-year-old could keep a grip on his elbow. Foggy followed. He was more than used to Matt going on ahead.

Matt put Audrey's hand on the car door handle so she could open it herself and he could hear the resulting smile. He did buckle her in, though, hoping it wouldn't make her feel too much like a baby.

"Thank you," she said politely. Matt smiled and went around the other side to sit beside Audrey in the back.

Foggy got in the front. "Matt will not stop talking about you," Foggy said. "According to him, you're the... What was it?"

"Toughest nine-year-old I've ever met." Matt patted Audrey's hand, hoping Foggy had not embarrassed her as much as Foggy had embarrassed Matt. Audrey's heart sped up and Matt heard her lips part in a smile.

"Really?" her head went up, then down. "But I cry a lot," she whispered to Matt. "Nurse Aceso said I shouldn't cry."

Matt felt a hot rash of irritation at that. "Crying is perfectly okay," he said to Audrey. "I cry, too."

Audrey nodded and leaned back.

All through the visit, Matt couldn't get what Audrey had told him Nurse Aceso had said out of his mind. When he dropped the girl off, he marched straight up to the nurse. Nurse Aceso was sorting through files.

"Hello, Mr. Murdock. What can I do for you?" Nurse Aceso's voice was pleasant, soothing.

"Audrey said something in the car earlier, and, well, it was hard to believe a medical professional had said that to a child in her situation." His voice was far more formal than he'd even use in the courtroom. He cared far too much about Audrey, he realized.

"And what was that?" Nurse Aceso kept systematically sorting the files.

"She told me that you said she shouldn't cry." Matt shook his head. "Why would you even say that?"

Nurse Aceso's heartbeat didn't flinch. She put down her files. "Oh, Mr. Murdock, you have no idea of what that girl is going to go through."

That made Matt plenty angry, but he held it on a tight rein. "No idea?" He said quietly. If he let himself go another inch, he'd yell the full mile. "Excuse me, Nurse Aceso, but I believe I know more than you do about what Audrey is going to go through."

Nurse Aceso chuckled. "Matt, Matt, Matt. You hardly know what the average blind person goes through. And oh, Matthew, Audrey is so much more than that."

Matt's head pounded and a torrent of sound flooded through his ears from inside of his head. "What do you mean?" He asked, feeling like he was underwater. " _What do you mean by that_?" His hands were clenched into fists over his cane, anchoring him to his helpless disguise.

"That waste that splashed your eyes was special, Matt. Audrey's wasn't quite the same, but it isn't often I come across something I can't heal. If I choose."

Nurse Aceso went back to sorting the files, and Matt had the feeling she was deciding who lived and who died. Matt turned to walk away, not sure he could keep his anger at bay. Nurse Aceso whispered to him as he left, his enhanced hearing picking it up as easily as if she'd been right next to him.

"Don't worry, Matt. I won't tell."

* * *

 **Okie dokie! That was a fun chapter. I love writing this so much, honestly. It's just so refreshing to write fan fiction after school essays. Thank you all so, so much for reading! Reviews are incredibly appreciated. Critiques, comments, just saying "hi,"** **anything! I love you all!**


	5. Chapter 5: Home, Sweet Home (Audrey)

Hello Everyone! This chapter has a time skip because I am LAZY and also I'm not writing this for money or anything other than my own enjoyment. Audrey is the only character I own. Just a quick reminder.

I changed the category to the Daredevil TV show because I am a views hog and I feel like more people are over there than in the comic book tag (sue me, you freaking avocados. Actually don't. I have like $20.01) but it's still a combination of both the comics and the TV show (but not the movie. Never the movie. That doesn't exist. Forget I said anything about that). Anyway, I promise I'll get more Percy Jackson-y soon. Very soon. I just need to get Audrey and Matt settled. Which may be accomplished using time skips because this is fanficition and I write upon my whims (Mostly because I-Write-What-I-Want was taken) so DEAL WITH IT!

Also, I'd imagine this is a bit later, at a time when Nelson and Murdock actually have a few paying clients.

Wow, that was a really freaking terrible author's note. If you read that, I apologize. Also thank you and you are a kind person. Even if you didn't read that, ily.

* * *

Audrey had been living with Matt for about a month when he sat her down for a talk. She was nervous that it was about her leaving and she couldn't help but twist the hem of her shirt into a tight rope. She sat across the couch from Matt, one leg up, one leg down.

"Audrey," Matt said seriously, "do you like it here?"

"Yeah." Audrey nodded. She did. She liked having Matt's attention when they were at home. She liked going to the office with Matt and talking to Karen and Foggy whenever they weren't working. She liked Matt's cooking and her room, with walls she knew were purple although she'd never seen them, her bed with the soft sheets she'd picked out.

Audrey liked when Matt helped her to bake with him, when he helped her with Braille, when he went with her on her Orientation and Mobility course and the instructor laughed that she was lucky and had two teachers for the price of one. she thought she might even "love it here."

"I do like it here." She didn't quite know how to tell Matt how _much_ she liked it there. She wanted to give him a hug, but something in his voice held her off. Something was up.

"Audrey, I have something to tell you." Matt sighed and put a hand on Audrey's shoulder. Audrey didn't squirm it off, even though she felt like something bad might happen.

"Okay?" She tried not to think of whatever might happen being bad. She didn't want anything to change.

Matt took a breath. "Audrey, I want to adopt you fully. Would you be all right with that?"

Okay, so maybe some change was good.

"Yes! Audrey yelped, forgetting they were in an apartment. "Yes! She said more quietly. Volume change or no, she felt like she could explode with the happiness. She rocketed across the couch to sit in the fold of Matt's side, hugging him tightly.

Matt laughed a bit in a voice that had a tinge of relief. "That's good. Audrey, I haven't been totally honest with you, though."

"What?" Audrey tilted her head up. She loosened her hold a little. "What do you mean?" Her mind whirled through a million possible scenarios, her relief fading to worry again.

"Audrey," Matt gently took her arms off of his torso, "The chemicals that took my sight also gave me, well... Special powers."

Something clicked. "Is that why you could fight that monster thing in the taxi?" Audrey hugged her knees to her chest.

"Exactly." Matt still sounded tense. "I am blind, I promise, but I have this-this radar-sense that helps me know what my surroundings are.

"Radar-sense? Like Spider-sense?" Audrey tried to wrap her mind around it. Matt had special powers? And she didn't?

"A little bit." Matt seemed reluctant. "I can feel what's in a room," he said. "I can feel the shapes pressing on the air."

"So you don't need your cane, really?" Audrey's heart felt like it had stood still and her breath was tight.

"It helps?" Matt didn't seem to know what to say. "That's not all."

"What is?" Audrey rubbed her legs, not really for comfort but to remind herself she was still there.

"I have enhanced senses. Super-hearing, super-smell super-taste, super-touch. I can hear your heartbeat."

"Really?" For a moment, Audrey was distracted by how cool that was.

"And Audrey, there's one more thing." Matt heaved a big sigh. "I'm Daredevil."

Audrey felt her blood pound in her head. "What?"

"I'm Daredevil." Matt breathed again. "Audrey, I promise I'm really blind. I just have extra powers. I still can't read writing or see colors or know what faces look like. I just know whether there's something in my way."'

Audrey didn't say anything. Her mind was working.

"Audrey?" Matt tentatively put a hand on Audrey's arm. "I-"

"Okay," Audrey said, surprising herself. "You didn't really lie to me, did you?" She didn't want Matt to have lied.

"I'm still blind. I did hide some of the truth, but no. I never lied."

"Is that why you knew about me? Because you're Daredevil?" Audrey crawled in closer to Matt again. "And that's how you defeated the taxi monster?"

"Pretty much." Matt accepted Audrey into his arms, and Audrey felt like she could live in that hug forever.

* * *

Audrey had waited months for this. She was almost ten already, for goodness' sake. She'd get to spend her tenth birthday with a dad. A superhero dad.

That made Audrey really excited. A dad. Of her own. Who adopted her for real and wasn't just in it for the money given by the state to foster a child. Audrey had had a checkup, and now she was leaving somewhere and going home.

The social worker delivered her to Matt's door, as if she and Matt hadn't spent so much time together.

"Hello?" Matt answered the door, a smile implicit in his voice.

"Mr. Murdock, here's your Audrey." Audrey didn't hold back. She threw her arms around Matt's waist, as high as she could reach. His stomach was hard with muscle. He felt strong. In his arms, Audrey was safe. Nothing could get to her there, not even monsters. Matt had proven that already.

"Hey, Audrey," Matt said. "Foggy's here, too."

Audrey didn't let go.

"I'll leave a bit more paperwork here for you to sign and then you will be legally Audrey's guardian," the worker said. Matt started for the coffee table to sign the documents with Audrey attached to his legs. The social worker followed. The worker smelled like too much chemical cologne and Audrey wrinkled her nose as he went by, then remembered that some people could actually still see and smoothed it out again.

"You'll want to sign these three documents here."

Three more?" Matt laughed. "Of course. Foggy, could you come read them to me?"

Audrey tried to listen to the legal jargon but got distracted by a loose thread in the hem of her dress. She tuned back in when she heard "All right then, you're now legally a family." The social worker declined the offer of tea or coffee and left.

Audrey's grin felt like it might fall off of her face. "Matt?"

"Yeah?" Matt picked her up, slowly at first so she could realize what was going on, and gave her a light squeeze. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug.

"This is the best day ever." Audrey put her head on Matt's shoulder.

Foggy muttered about 'third wheeling Matt _again_ " and how he should get going. He slipped out just loud enough for Audrey to hear.

Audrey and Matt stayed still for a while. Even though Audrey was average weight for an eight-year-old, Matt showed no signs of wanting to put her down.

"Well," Matt said after a while, "It's almost dinner. Let's get something special."

Audrey shrugged.

"What do you want?"

Audrey thought for a moment. "Anything." She mostly was happy as she was right then.

"Is pizza all right? And we don't need to sit down to eat it or anything. I just want to feed you."

Audrey realized that maybe it wasn't the best idea to skip dinner on Matt's first day of official fatherhood. "I like pizza."

"Good!" Matt didn't put Audrey down as he went to the phone, merely shifted all of her weight onto one arm. He was definitely superhero strong. The buttons of Matt's phone said the numbers out loud when he touched them, and it reassured Audrey. Matt was so confident that she forgot he was blind sometimes. When she heard the tap-tap of his cane or the electronic voice on his phone, it reminded her that he was blind and she was blind and he could do things and she could do things. She forgot that a lot, and remembered it a lot, like a seesaw of memory things.

"What kind of pizza do you want?" Matt asked as the phone beeped.

"Pineapple?" Audrey felt Matt's nod on the top of her head. She listened as he placed the order. He finished ad adjusted his hold on Audrey.

"It'll be here soon."

"What color is your hair?" Audrey blurted out. It was weird to her that she didn't even know what Matt looked like.

"Red," he said. "Can we go sit on the couch?"

Audrey slithered out of his hold and touched her way to the couch herself. She made it and a sense of pride welled up inside of her.

"What color is your hair?" Matt asked. Audrey hadn't thought much about the fact that he didn't know what she looked like, either.

"Blonde," she said. "Light blonde." Matt came and sat next to Audrey on the couch. She tentatively reached a hand up to touch Matt's hair. Red or not, it felt like hair. Slightly wavy, combed like a lawyer-y business person. Audrey lowered her hand and gave Matt a hug again. The doorbell rang and Audrey jumped.

"I'll get it," Matt said. "Pizza."


	6. Chapter 6: Holiday (Matt)

Matt hadn't looked forward to a father's day in ages. Usually he went to work, focused harder on the briefs and cases and court orders than almost any other day in the year and went home. He'd punch out his feelings, on a punching bag or some criminal, and then he'd try to sleep. This year, though, he had plans. Father's day had a new meaning.

When Matt was younger, he'd wanted kids. Most people did, he figured. But he'd never really imagined what having kids would mean. He'd just wanted to be just like his father, and fatherhood was a large portion of that. Now Matt _knew_. He knew why his dad had done what he'd done, why he'd taken shady jobs and committed crimes. He thanked God he didn't need to do the same for Audrey. His moral sense was laser-specific, he knew the devil inside him could easily get out of control, but he would let it run wild for Audrey. He would make Daredevil the most feared name in the world for Audrey's sake.

Audrey had been learning Braille, and while she was a long way from fluent reading, she was working as hard as anything. Audrey had bridged from Harry Potter-obsessed to Royalty-obssessed, and she'd spout random facts about various royal families throughout the ages. Audrey was learning to make eggs by herself and to use her white cane. Everything Audrey did, Matt felt incredible secondhand pride. Cliche as it was, he felt like he'd known her his whole life.

As Matt was getting ready to walk to the bus stop to pick Audrey up from school, the doorbell rang. Matt listened to the breathing, the heartbeat, smelled the scent. Foggy? Foggy in some over starched clothes. Matt answered the door.

"Mr. Murdock?" Foggy said when Matt answered the door. "I'm in a tux, by the way, if you didn't know. I'm your chauffeur."

"Chauffeur." Matt nodded. "Okay. I take it Audrey planned this? She didn't let on."

"She's a champion secret-keeper, Matt." Foggy elbowed Matt in the side. "Shall we go to the car, Sir?"

"All right, Nelson." Matt followed Foggy to the car. Foggy seemed to enjoy pretending to be the chauffeur; Audrey wan't even there, and till Foggy opened doors and stood at attention. Matt climbed into the back and reached for the door out of habit.

"I'm shutting it, Mr. Murdock," Foggy said. "You'd better not do my job for me."

"Yeah, I think I'll drive," Matt joked. Foggy probably rolled his eyes (Matt had no way to tell, but the joke had been so bad Matt couldn't imagine anyone not rolling their eyes) and got into the front seat.

When Foggy pulled up at Audrey's school, he told Matt to wait in the car. Matt was amused. Foggy had definitely taken to Audrey almost as much as Matt had, which was very much.

Matt could have picked Audrey out of the crowd even without his radar sense. She was babbling on to Foggy about her day and how they;d made father's day cads, and the teacher had shown her how to use a hot glue gun so she could make cards with raised patterns. "Mrs. Spreek didn't let me use it by myself, but I showed her how to make a pattern that I wanted with my hand on the top of hers." Audrey skipped beside Foggy, and her heels pittered on the pavement. If she was holding on to Foggy, she probably wasn't using her cane, and Matt thanked God again that she could trust Foggy as her eyes. Whatever had happened before Matt adopted her, however bad she'd flat in her previous homes, she felt safe with Matt and that was what mattered.

Foggy opened the door for Audrey. "Madame."

Audrey giggled and climbed in.

"Did you organize this, Audrey?" Matt asked. "this whole thing?"

"It was my idea." Audrey's nimble fingers found the buckle and buckled herself in. Matt felt a swelling pride in his daughter. "Foggy helped a little bit."

"It was all Audrey." Foggy got into the front seat and started the car. "I'm just the chauffeur."

"Where are we going next?" Matt took Audrey's hand and she leaned into him.

"Not telling." Audrey sounded mischievous, excited. "It's a surprise." Foggy began to drive, and Audrey launched into her story about the Father's Day cards. She handed a piece of thick paper to Matt. "Here it is."

Matt traced a finger over the surface. There was a raised pattern, the hot glue, and his fingers skipped along it.

"Is it Daredevil?" He asked. "With-"

"I'm the angel," Audrey said. "Get it?"

"I get it." She'd made this for him. She could have made anything and he'd have liked it. "It's beautiful."

She hugged him, and he put his arms around her and held her tightly. "Open it," she said into his side. He kept one arm around her and used the other to flip the card open. He set it on his lap and read it with his one hand.

Dear Matt,

Thank you for being my dad. Happy Father's Day.

Audrey.

A lump rose in Matt's throat. Audrey had been having so much trouble with even her simple Braille, and the card was so neat and perfect that he knew she'd had to have worked hard on it.

"I love it," he said. "This is perfect."

She burrowed back into his hug, and Matt thought that that was the most perfect start to the most perfect father's day afternoon ever.

* * *

"I loved today, Audrey," Matt said. Audrey's head rested on his shoulder, her small hand in his. "Very impressed."

"It wasn't a lot." Audrey sounded proud all the same. "I love you, Matt."

A smile spread across Matt's face like a tsunami. "I love you, Audrey."

At that moment he was sure that he knew exactly what being a dad felt like.

* * *

 **o0o**

Audrey hummed Christmas songs while she chopped cucumbers. She lined three up and the knife moved cleanly through. So far, being twelve was good. It snowed for Christmas, her reading was better, and the last time Karen had taken her bra shopping she'd gotten a whole cup size bigger. Not that bra sizes were the most important things in life, but it was fun to think about.

"Merry Christmas!" The door swung open, and cold air rushed in.

"Shut the door, the heat's on!" Matt called from the next room. "And you'll get snow all over the floor."

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Audrey's shoulder was tapped as warning before she found herself wrapped in a hug.

"Foggy, are you dressed as Santa again?" She rubbed the soft fabric between finger and thumb. Some sort of synthetic beard tickled her forehead.

"I'm not Foggy, I'm Santa Claus!" Foggy let her go. "Feel, I have a beard and everything."

Audrey reached a hand up and lightly touched the plastic hair. "Very realistic, Santa.

Foggy laughed and started toward Matt in the next room.

"Is Matthew on the naughty list or the nice list?"

"I think you should give him all coal," Audrey said, following him. She bumped into the back of his jacket, misjudging where his voice had been coming from. She arranged herself next to him in the doorway. "He's terrible."

"Hey, I helped an old lady across the street yesterday," Matt said.

"More like an old lady helped you." Audrey giggled. Unsolicited offers of help spurred by white canes were irritating but funny, and they usually went away if you proved you were competent enough.

Matt finished hooking up whatever he was doing and "Joy To the World" began to play. "Aha. Audrey, did you finish the cucumber salad?"

"Basically." Matt walked by Audrey and Foggy to the kitchen, and they followed.

"Foggy, you can put the presents under the tree." Audrey got excited at the word presents. She'd gotten something ironic for both Foggy and Matt. Irony was very big at her middle school.

* * *

 **I thought a short chapter was better than nothing at all and my writer's block squeezed this out. I had no clue what to write. I have something else lined up, this is filler. Happy holidays!**


	7. Chapter 7: Kidnap (Audrey)

**I own nothing.**

* * *

"Audrey!"

Audrey sprang off her bed and through the door, skidding a little in her socks but stopping herself in the doorway. "I studied, I did, and I promise I'll bring my grade up. One test won't hurt, right? I did study, read my heartbeat." She hoped her heartbeat was steady enough. She _had_ been telling the truth.

"I was going to say the cookies you made yesterday were really good." Matt paused. "Are you sure you don't want a reader?"

Audrey groaned. "I'm sure. I can read Braille." She scuffed her sock across the floor, her hands resting on the doorframe.

"Audrey, we could get you a reader. You didn't start that young, and the dyslexia-"

"I don't want all that extra attention. Like being the blind kid isn't enough." Audrey tried to pass it as a joke, but it was weak. "There's already a boy who won't stop following me. It's like he expects me to break and always need backup or something. And people talk to me weird already."

"There's nothing wrong with a reader, Audrey." Matt had said that a million and one times, and Audrey had answered a million. "You don't have the edge some other kids do in learning to read."

"You learned to read Braille later than I did." Audrey started toward Matt's voice on the couch. Matt sighed.

"That's different." He sounded mildly frustrated. "You know that."

"Right, you're not _stupid_." Audrey dropped onto the couch, the side away from Matt. She felt slightly dramatic, but also justified.

"Audrey." There was steel in Matt's voice. "You're not stupid. You're anything but."

Audrey felt bad, for making Matt sad and for saying that about herself. "It feels that way a lot."

She leaned back, and Matt found her hand. He stroked it with his thumb.

"Audrey," he said, "You're only human."

"Yeah," she said, and scooted closer to him. "I know."

* * *

The night wasn't quiet, but the street sounded empty as Audrey walked down it, her white cane echoing in the relative lack of people.

"Need help crossing the street?" Strange, she hadn't heard footsteps. The voice was above Audrey's head, and sounded like an old lady. Old lady helping the teenager across the street? Suck on that, Boy Scouts.

"I got it, thanks." Audrey was used to deflecting offers of help from everyone, really. Of course, with Matt it was mostly "are you sure you don't want a parent there when you hang out with people?" and Foggy it was mostly "want help eating that?"

"I don't think you do," whoever it was said, and Audrey was on guard. Matt had taught her quite a bit of martial arts, and she was ready to defend herself. Her heartbeat sped. She tugged at the hand holding her, but the harder she pulled, the stronger it gripped. On Audrey's skin, it even began to feel like scales, rubbing her wrist and drawing warm blood.

"My dad's Da- A lawyer!" Audrey kicked out with one foot. Whatever she hit was definitely not human. It was solid, like armor, and curved in a way no human leg would curve.

"A lawyer, a king, a beggar. Whatever he is, he is mortal." Suddenly breath rasped in Audrey's ear, a warm scaly snout brushing the side of her head. "I pay no heed to mortals."

"Hi-yah!" The head rocketed to the side, but Audrey was not released. Rather, she was put off balance along with whatever was holding her, and her knee scraped the pavement. "Not on my first time!"

Audrey was swung around when whatever was holding her turned to face whatever had interrupted whatever had been going on.

"First time? I've eaten satyrs for breakfast. I can anihhilate a first time satyr."

"Hun," the satyr said, "You're a drakon."

"Obviously."

"You're a really small drakon."

"That was uncalled for! You're a small satyr!"

"I'm big for my age." The satyr sounded nonchalant. Audrey heard the first few bars of "Popular" from _Wicked_ played on a flute of some sort and the drakon dropped her hand. Audrey stayed still, not sure what to do. She was yanked to the side just in time to avoid a spout of fire.

"Come on. You can run. I gotcha." Audrey tried to keep up with whoever had her elbow. She recognized the voice.

"You're in my science class, aren't you? H- Something"

"Not right now!" Henry pulled her down, ducking behind what felt like a trash can. "I mean, yes. But don't talk about it right now. I'm Henry."

"Audrey-"

"I know. I sit behind you. Okay, coast is clear." Audrey stood up, and hit into scales again. "Or not. Dammit."

"I was going to go easy on the satyr, you know," the drakon said. "But you insulted my height."

Audrey struck out on instinct. She had no idea what was going on, but she lived in New York, and Daredevil was her father. Trying to pinpoint where the head was from the voice, she grabbed onto the drakon and swung her feet up into it. Judging from the gasp, she got it in the windpipe. Also judging from the spurt of fire that Henry once again pushed her out from under, that was a bad idea.

"Ahh!" Henry grabbed her again as she dropped. "Stab it!"

"With what?" Audrey tried to pick the trash can up to use as a shield, but she was having trouble pinpointing directions.

"This!" Henry stuffed a knife into Audrey's hand.

"Ah!" Audrey squeaked. She stabbed out with the knife and it skidded along the scales. The drakon laughed.

"You know," the drakon said, "Most heroes who were blinded were being punished." It blew a tuft of fire, close enough for Audrey to feel the heat but not close enough to be dangerous. It was taunting her, teasing her.

And Audrey was glad. Not because she enjoyed being teased, but because she could pinpoint the drakon's nose. She swung the knife upwards and felt it sink into soft flesh.

"Ahh!" Audrey squeaked again. She snatched her hand out of the way of fire, stabbing the knife back into the dragon's chest with her full strength. She went with such force that when the drakon disappeared, she fell over. "What in the name of-"

"Well, now you know," Henry said. "Come on."

"What?!" Audrey pulled against Henry's grip. "I just killed something. I want answers."

"Sorry, Hun," Henry said. "Not yet."

* * *

Audrey had calmed down when she felt wing joints on the horse, but she freaked out again as they rode through the sky. Henry had been playing Kety Perry songs on the flute thing for a while until Audrey had managed to get him to shut up.

"Hold on," Henry said. "We're touching down." He'd refused to say anything about what was going on. At that point, Audrey was just cold and trying not to fall off the flying horse. Also, her butt was numb. Horses were not as comfy as historical fiction movies would have one believe.

Audrey threaded her hands through the horse's mane. It whinnied and seemed not to like it, so she just gripped the edges of the mane so the horse wouldn't feel it. They tipped forward awkwardly and Audrey leaned back to avoid slipping off the horse's neck.

"I got one!" Henry called as the hooves touched ground with a jolt. "How's that for a satyr? First time, guys!"

Audrey heard a few people in the area chatter, coming closer.

"Be quiet," a boy said, more like a babysitter who had had enough that someone truly upset. "Make some room, guys. Why don't you get off the horse? You probably have questions."

"Me?" Audrey clarified. She heard the chattery people move back.

"Yeah. Need help?"

"I got it." Audrey swung her leg over the side of the horse and slid down. He knees wobbled when she hit the ground, but the boy who'd spoken first caught her before she fell. He was taller than her, but scrawnier.

"You've been on the horse a while? It's cool."

Audrey nodded, and tried to step away from the boy. It didn't work.

"Woah. It's okay."

"Yeah? Then Why did you basically kidnap me?" Audrey realized that she'd been surprisingly quiet. This whole thing had been so strange, and she'd almost observed the whole thing more than participated. "My dad'll find me."

"Henry told you nothing?" the boy groaned. "Great." He half-led, half-carried Audrey to a bench. She sat, still on edge. "Okay. So, this place is called Camp Half-Blood."

"Why would I be taken to a group home?" Audrey remembered Matt talking about a Camp Half-Blood. "I was adopted. What's going on?"

"I've been in group homes, and this isn't one. Just let me finish, okay?"

Audrey crossed her arms across her chest and nodded grumpily.

"I have totally done this before." The boy sighed. "I'm Leo."

Audrey didn't say anything.

"This is usually the part where you say your name."

Audrey still didn't say anything.

"Fine. This is Camp Half-Blood. If you're here, it means you're half god."

"What?" Audrey let out a short bark of laughter. "Whatever you're doing, my dad will find me. He's... A lawyer."

"Ooh, a lawyer. Totally cooler than gods." Leo tapped his fingers on his arms, the little pitter-pat sounding both rhythmic and random. "Listen, whoever you are, I know I'm not Narcissus, but you haven't looked at me once this whole time, and it's starting to get annoying.

"I'm _blind._ " Audrey was genuinely confused. They didn't know anything about her, why had they kidnapped her? Despite herself, her interest was aroused.

"Oh, scratch that. I am the hottest pile of demigod in this place. Also smartest." Leo may have been a little embarrassed, but he didn't sound it. "So. That'll make it a little harder."

Audrey stayed quiet.

"I mean, I was planning to show you... Now wonder you didn't think this place was weird."

"My dad will find me, by the way," Audrey said again.

"Mortals can't come here. They can't see it. The Mist hides Camp."

"Yeah, seeing... Matt's not big on that. He'll find it." Audrey pulled one knee onto the bench and into her chest.

"You know what?" Leo clapped his hands. He seemed to be in constant motion. "I am not bad at explaining this god stuff, I just want to give Piper a chance." He lugged Audrey to her feet. Audrey would usually correct someone who just dragged her around instead of leading her, but she figured Leo was the type to drag people around, blind or not. Keeping up with him seemed to be a feat.

He dragged her past what smelled like an outdoor kitchen and then an open fire. He stopped her by a wall, which she brushed with her fingers. He opened a door. He didn't let her in the doorway. "Hey, Piper?"

"What did you blow up this time?" Audrey heard a girl, Piper, come to the doorway. "Gods, Leo. I can't keep charmspeaking Nyssa." Piper stopped. "Who's that?"

"New kid," Leo said. "She's bothering me."

"You dragged me halfway across wherever this is!" Audrey crossed her arms.

"Oh, gods," Piper said. "I'm sorry. Leo's great sometimes, I promise, but he can be the world's most annoying thing the rest of the time." Piper took Audrey's hand. Piper's palm was soft, her nails neat. "So what's going on?"

"Apart from the kidnapping? Some guy in my science class threw me on a horse and took me here." Audrey shrugged. "I have no idea what's going on."

"DO you have ADHD? Dyslexia?" Piper asked.

"Yes?" Audrey shrugged, biting her lip. "So?"

"That's 'cause you're a demigod," Leo said. "It helps in battle or Greek or whatever."

"That's believable."

"Okay, listen," said Piper. "This sounds crazy. I thought it was crazy, too. But think. Anything every happen when you were scared, or-"

"Now you're quoting Harry Potter," Audrey said. Piper sighed.

"Honestly, though. Has anything weird happened to you?"

"Like a drakon attack?" Audrey thought back. The first time she'd been out with Matt, all the times she was kicked out of foster homes for weird things...

"Yeah." Piper sounded like she was smiling. "And I bet you live with one parent."

"I'm adopted." Something about Piper made this more believable. She sounded trustworthy, and she was hitting every nail on the head.

"See?" Piper swung Audrey's hand. "Now we just need to wait for you to be claimed."

* * *

 **At first I thought it would be weird having my OC meet the Seven... But then I remembered that I'm not getting paid for this and can do whatever I want. If my writing could use work, then yes, please tell me so I can grow. If you think meeting the Seven is stupid? :D**

 **Anyway, I love you all for reading this. Comments and likes are SO appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8: What (Matt)

Matt began to get nervous when Audrey didn't show up at the law office after school.

"She's fourteen, Matt. She probably went home with a friend and forgot to tell you," Karen said after about an hour.

"She wouldn't." Matt didn't try to hide his worry.

"Maybe she told you and you forgot." Karen's heartbeat was easy, but her voice betrayed concern. "You've called her?"

"About ten times," Matt said. "It rings then goes to voicemail."

As if magically awakened, matt's phone rang. He snatched it so fast the air nearly vibrated, and out it to his ear so hard that had he not been Daredevil, he would definitely have gotten a bruise.

"Mr. Murdock?" He recognized the voice as the office secretary at Audrey's school. "This is Mrs. Hollis."

"Yes. What's wrong?" He pressed his phone into his ear, willing the secretary to say 'nothing, Audrey got such good grades we're keeping her here,' or even 'Audrey is failing and we're keeping her for extra tutoring.'

"We were hoping you might tell us. Audrey was not at school today." The secretary's words hung in Matt's ear. Matt said nothing, but felt his breath catch. "Mr. Murdock?"

"Thank you. Audrey didn't come home, either," Matt said. "It's not like her- Mrs. Hollis, I'll have to hang up." Matt didn't wait for her to respond.

"What's wrong?" Karen asked. "What's going on with Audrey?"

"She didn't go to school." Matt gripped his desk, the corner digging into his fingers.

"Matt, go home. We'll look for her," Foggy said. There was an imperceptible wink in his voice, something that said 'we both know Daredevil will be looking for Audrey tonight.'

"We can't file a police claim until... Is it three days?" Karen's voice was breathy, pale. She cleared her throat and got herself together. "Of course, we'll look for her. Matt, you don't have any more appointments today. Go on."

Matt grabbed his white cane, reflex holding up his act. "Yeah," he said. "He tapped to the doorway, where he hesitated. "Don't call me," he said, and flew out the door.

Once he was far enough away, Matt sprung into action, ditching his suit for his Daredevil costume. Daredevil jumped rooftop to rooftop over Audrey's route to school, calling her on her phone and praying her ringer was loud enough. Or on at all.

In the end, it wasn't her ringer that alerted him to where she'd been; it was the smell of her lunch slowly curdling on the sidewalk. He dropped down to the edge of the crosswalk, garbage cans surrounding a familiar backpack. He opened it, and the first thing he touched was a braille book. Definitely Audrey's, then. His breath caught and his heart pounded.

 _Deep breaths. Maybe she's okay._ In Matt's world, though, it was always the worst outcome. He took in a deep breath through his nose, trying to see whether there was anything he'd missed. He took off his gloves and swept his hands over the street.

He found what he'd missed. A feather, as long as his whole hand, from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. It had been anchored from blowing way by Audrey's backpack. He brought it to his face and smelled it, conventional fears of disease gone with the wind. It smelled like a horse.

A flying horse? Matt could believe weirder things. He looked for more, and sure enough a few others were left behind. The feathers chilled him. Who but a super villain would have a flying horse? So Audrey hadn't been kidnapped by your average mugs.

Suddenly, his mask seemed suffocatingly close. He pulled it off, not caring on the empty street. The wind whistled by his ears, bringing the sounds of the city to him. The cars and the people and the crashes of who-knows-what. Five years, he'd kept Audrey safe from the things that went bump in the night. He wouldn't break that streak. Matt cupped his bare face in his bare hands, and promised himself that whatever it took, Audrey was going to be safe in his arms.

Matt tugged on his mask and gloves. He stuffed the feathers in his billy club holder beside his cane. How to track a flying horse? Take to the skies.

Daredevil's silhouette danced over New York City's skyline, searching for his lost angel.

* * *

Daredevil followed the faint trail of feathers, lodged into chimneys or fire escapes. He wasn't sure, at first, that he wasn't tracking some random pigeon that happened to smell like a horse, but when he found a feather almost as long as his forearm he figured that he was really on to something. He tracked the trail for hours, and soon the smell of horse mingled with the scent of the sea. He paused in a tree to collect his bearings. He'd run out of buildings to jump on hours ago, and didn't want to be caught.

He sniffed the air, searching for another feather. Instead, he smelled metal. That somehow also smelled like a sheep. A metal sheep, but not one that was made of metal. A real sheep, with metal wool or something. Which confused him. The scent mingled with the sound of teenagers laughing and singing. Singing? And the scent of a campfire. Was this where Audrey was? He tried to listen, but he couldn't focus. Whey would they take her to a summer camp?

Daredevil snuck by the metal sheep wool. It was draped over a tree. He had no time to examine it. He snuck by a few buildings, and froze. He could hear Audrey. She was singing around the campfire. She didn't know the words-Matt in fact, had never heard the song before (it seemed to be about grandmothers dressing for war)-but he couldn't mistake Audrey's voice. She seemed to be having fun. Had she been drugged? Were all the other kids also drugged? Confused, he stepped on a twig, which snapped.

With warriors' reflexes, everyone sitting around the campfire turned. A few weapons popped into existence that Matt was positive had not been there before. He smelled brass that smelled brassier than any other brass.

" _Daredevil?_ " The boy seemed to be respected by the others. He was tall and smelled like the sea. "What?" He positioned himself in front of the rest of the campers.

"Hi, Dad," Audrey said, obviously enjoying herself. "I told them you'd come."

"Daredevil is your dad?" A different kid, this one a lot shorter and wirier, laughed. "Cool. That's gotta be the coolest dad ever."

"You do see how ironic that sounds, coming from you, Leo?" The girl sighed. "Chiron, what now?"

"What's going on?" Daredevil was on edge. He had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that Audrey seemed to be waving cheerily.

"Daredevil?" A man that Daredevil hadn't noticed, Chiron, maybe, came forward. Daredevil could hear the clopping of hooves, and the man's voice was high above Matt's head, as if he were riding a horse. "Why don't you and Audrey come with me?"

Daredevil thought for a moment. Maybe it really all was fine. Audrey didn't smell different, though it was hard to pinpoint one scent by the campfire.

"All right," Daredevil said. People stepped aside as he went to get Audrey. He didn't want another moment before he had a grip on her. He put an arm around her shoulders and she held onto him.

"Piper, why don't you come along?" Chiron called back.

"Are you all right?" he asked once they were out of hearing range of the campfire. The songs had picked back up.

"Fine, Matt." Audrey breathed. "I told them you'd find me, though."

Chiron led them to a house. Matt muttered to Audrey to warn her about the porch steps, and followed Chiron inside.

"Who's that?" A surly-sounding man asked. "He's not a demigod."

"Demigod?" Matt asked. He wasn't about to dismiss it. After all, he knew a god personally. "Like Thor?"

"Oh, _Thor_ ," The surly man said. " _My_ father would never let me do what he does. Odin is such a loose hand."

"Come with me," Chiron said. Matt and Audrey followed him into the next room. He stopped and turned to face Matt. Piper stood next to him. "So, you are Audrey's father?"

"Mr. Chiron," Matt said, trying to maintain more lawyerliness and protective fatherhood than angry vigilante, "you kidnapped my daughter. I think it would be more appropriate for me to ask the questions."

"By all means," Chiron said. "Go ahead." Chiron's voice was pleasant, and would have been likable was he not complicit in the kidnap of Audrey.

"Why did you kidnap her?"

"I must answer that with a question, I'm afraid," Chiron said. "When Audrey was younger, or even recently, did you notice anything strange? Anything trying to attack her?"

"Like the dragon when I was nine," Audrey said. "Or that one time last year when the old lady tried to strangle me with the scarf."

"Those are two things that happened, yes. But those are no reasons to kidnap a child." Matt tightened his protective arm around Audrey.

"Have you ever suspected Audrey of being different?"

"You mean the dyslexia? Or... What?" Matt felt emotions rise inside him, anger the most prominent. "That's no reason to-"

"No, although most demigods have it," Chiron answered. "No, about her being more than human."

Matt remembered, as if the memory had been handed to him, Nurse Aceso saying that Audrey was no average person, and the strange ease her adoption process had been. Nurse Aceso's strange aura, that he'd caught from Audrey a few times, more as she grew older.

"Yes," Matt said tentatively. "So?"

"This is Camp Half-Blood. It's a place for demigods." Chiron pawed the ground with one hoof. "It's a place for them to be safe."

"Audrey's part god? She's not..." Matt trailed off. Everything Chiron had said made sense, his heartbeat was steady, and flying horses? Centaurs? "What kind of god?"

"Greek," Chiron said. "She's the child of one of the ancient Greek gods. We don't know which. She hasn't been claimed."

"Matt?" Audrey asked. "Are they telling the truth?"

"His heartbeat checks out," Matt said. "It hasn't changed since we got here."

"So I'm part god," Audrey said. "Wow."

Chiron nudged the girl, Piper.

"Um, I'm Piper," Piper said. "And I'm a demigod too. I mean, pretty much everyone here is. If you overlook the nymphs. And satyrs. And- Well, you get the point." Piper's voice had a calming, hypnotic quality. "My mom's Aphrodite. Anyway, The demigod life isn't easy."

"What do you mean?"

"We have a scent that's attractive to monsters," Piper said. Matt couldn't smell anything, so he figured that maybe it was scent on the dimension of the gods or something. "They're more than likely to attack us may more than mortals. So at Camp Half-Blood, we stay safe. And learn to fight."

"Learn to... Oh, no." Matt sighed, and turned his head to Audrey. His heart dropped. She was almost his age when he'd gotten his super senses. She seemed so small. But she really wasn't. She was as tall as an adult, and could beat Foggy and Karen at arm wrestling.

"You dad didn't want you to fight," Audrey said. "You did anyway."

"That was different," Matt murmured, but he knew it wasn't.

"Why don't we return to the campfire and you can think this through?" Chiron asked. "You can look around, take it in. Process."

"They have really good s'mores," Audrey said. "Come on."

Matt closed his eyes under the mask. "Yeah," he said, "okay."

* * *

 **Finally, another chapter! Wow! Thanks for reading, love you all, I hope it** **doesn't suck.**


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